Cigarette holder



1959 R. L. BLACKWELL, 4

" CIGARETTE HOLDER Filed Jan. 10, 1958;

' INVENTOR.

R/CHARD L. 5/. ACKM/[ZL BY I fiTTOR/VEY 2 United States Patent 1 2,910,074 CIGARETTE Home 7 Richard L. Blackwell, Detroit, Mich. Application January 10, 1958, Serial No. 708,164 3 Claims. 01. 131-457 This invention relates to cigarette holding clamps and may be considered an improvement on the subject matter of my Patent 2,582,097, granted Jan. 8, .1952.

An object of the invention is to simplify the patented device and render it more compact and thus reduce its cost of manufacture.

Another object is to provide a pivot to interconnect one clamping jaw with another and subject them to a single spring for maintaining either their open or closed position, such spring reacting between one of said jaws and a pin fixed on a support for the jaws.

Another object is to apply said spring to one of said jaws for movement with such jaw, by virtue of which movement said spring exerts pressure on such jaw in either open or closed position of the jaws.

Another object is to provide an aperture in one jarW to loosely engage said pin, and to predeterminedly space said pivot from a peripheral edge of said aperture to establish limits to opening and closing travel of said jaws.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a front elevation of the device showing the jaws in their open position.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the jaws closed on a cigarette.

Fig. 3 is a partial view on a larger scale, showing details of the pin.

Fig. 4 is a view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is taken in the same direction as Fig. 4, showing only one of the jaws.

Fig. 6 is taken in the same direction as Fig. 4, showing the other jaw with the spring secured thereto.

Fig. 7 is taken in the same direction as Fig. 4, showing the supporting member with the pin carried thereby.

In these views the reference character 1 designates a mounting bracket having mounting holes 2 for screws (not shown). An elongated arm 3 has an offset end portion 4 by which such arm is mounted on the bracket as with a pivot 5, thus spacing said arm 3 from the bracket in parallelism with the latter. Such arm is preferably formed of sheet material and integrally bears a jaw 6 bent transversely to the plane of the arm and arcuately formed to accommodate a cigarette.

A companion jaw 7 is similarly integrally formed upon a plate 8 and is appropriately contoured to coact with the jaw 7 to engage a cigarette. The plate 8 is disposed between the arm 3 and bracket 1 and is interconnected with said arm by a pivot 9. Such plate is formed with a tapered slot 10 to receive a pin 11 projecting from the bracket. Preferably, the pivot 9 is aligned with the longitudinal center line of said slot. A boss 12 on the plate 8 secures the end of an arm 13 of an approximately U-shaped spring disposed between the plate and the bracket. The other arm 14 of the spring is free, but bears under tension against the pin 11. This establishes ;a toggle relation between the jaws by virtue of which Patented O t. 27, 1959 they tend to open or close responsive to said spring ac cording as the pivot 9 is shifted above or below dead center of the line established by the pivot 5 and the pin 11. 4

Said pin is formed with flat surfaces 11a, 11b, (Figs.

2,3,, and 7) transverse to the plane of the bracket and jaw 6, the pivot 9 travels arcuately about the pivot 5 toward the aforesaid dead center line. During such travel the arm 14 rides off the flat and on to the apex 11c, and, as said pivot 9 passes the dead center line said spring reacts to snap the jaws toward their closed position, while the arm 14 seeks to bear on the fiat 11b. Absent a cigarette between the jaws, said arm 13 will bear substantially squarely upon the flat 11b. When the jaws are gripping a cigarette, however (Fig. 2), they cannot move to the limit of their closed position, and the spring ram, unable to seat fully on the flat 11b is slightly compressed, as explained below, to exert tension on the upper jaw to prevent escape of the cigarette due to vibration or light contact. Light upward pressure on the companion jaw 7 will move the pivot 9 upwardly past the dead center line, whereon the spring will be positioned to snap the jaws to their open position, with spring arm 14 bearing on the flat 11a.

As, in its arcuate travel, the pivot 9 moves toward the dead center line, it approaches the pin 11, and conversely recedes from such pin as it moves away from said line. During such approach, the spring necessarily compresses, its stress increasing until the pivot 9 reaches dead center. The tapered slot 10 afiords the requisite movement of the plate relative to the pin 11 and corresponding to that of the pivot 9. It is to be noted that the spacing of said pivot from the larger end of the slot establishes limits to the arcuate travel of the pivot 9, and hence limits the open and closed positions of the aws.

The device is useful under any conditions in which a smoker desires to be temporarily relieved of a cigarette, with assurance that it will be firmly held until he is ready to use it. Such device may be advantageously installed in a motor vehicle or on an ash tray. Primary advantage of the device is its ease of manipulation, mere pressure of a cigarette serving to establish either limiting position of the jaws.

While the relationship of the pivots 5 and 9 and the pin 11 is essential, the base may vary widely from the form illustrated, and may if desired be a part of some other structure as for example, a vehicle dash.

What I claim is:

1. A gripping device comprising an elongated arm, a jaw formed on one end of such arm, a first pivot mounting the other end of the arm upon a supporting element, a companion jaw, a plate carrying said companion jaw, a pin projecting from said supporting element, said plate being adapted to so engage said pin as to afford movement of the plate relative to said pin, a second pivot interconnecting the plate and arm, and a spring having a pair of divergent arms, one such arm being secured to the plate, and the other bearing movably against the pin, whereby said spring reacts between the pin and plate to exert pressure on the companion jaw in both open and closed positions of said jaws, there being a toggle relation between said arm and plate entailing travel of said second pivot across the line established by the first pivot and the pin to open and close said jaws, said spring acting by virtue of such relation to resist both opening and the hole engages said. pin in eitherposition of said plate and disengages therefrom during'saidtravel.

3. A grippi'ng-'device comprising a support, an elongateda'rm, a jaw-for'med on one end tof'said arm, a first pivot mountingthe other end of the armonthe support, a-compa'nion jaw, -a plate carrying said-companion :jaw, atpin projecting from the support, said plate'being formed with a hole receiving the :pin, a second pivot interconnecting the plate and earth, a spring having a pair of divergent varms, .onetsuch arm being fixedtto said .plate, the other arm bearing against the pin, said pin being formed with convergent flat'surfaces engageable by said last mentioned arm, there being a toggle relation between said arm and plate entailing travel of said second pivot across a line established by said pin and said first pivot, said spring acting by virtue of-said relationship to alternatively bear on said respective flats to respectively resist opening and closing travel of 'said jaws, and said second pivot being predeterminedly :spaced relative to said hole to establish limiting positions of said opening .and closing travel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,582,097 Blackwell Ian. 8, 1952 

